ЮКОС
.pdfThe Editors and Board of Trustees of the Russian Review
Russian Neoliberal: The Entrepreneurial Ethic and the Spirit of "True Careerism" Author(s): Alexei Yurchak
Source: Russian Review, Vol. 62, No. 1 (Jan., 2003), pp. 72-90
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RussianNeoliberal:TheEntrepreneurial
EthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism"
ALEXEIYURCHAK
"There'snotimefortrivialitieswhenyou'reforgingyourcareer" IrinaBuilova(2000)
CAPITALISM,AFTERSOCIALISM
One ofthemostimportantresultsofthefirstpost-SovietdecadeinRussiaistheworldof
affluentbusinessmen,successfulcosmopolitanentrepreneurs,andtheproverbialNew Russians.Untilrecentlythisworldwasunimaginableandtothisdayis hiddenfromthe viewofmostpeoplein Russia. It is inhabitedbyremarkablecharacters-biznezmeny
(businessmen),bankiry(bankers),brokery(brokers),dilery(traders),ekaunt-menedzhery (accountmanagers),kopiraitery(copy-writers)They.areresidentsofMoscowanda few otherlargecities,familiartothemajorityonlyfromthepagesofnewmasspublications andfromfleetingencountersonurbanstreetscharacterizedbyoneMoscowsociologist: "Weoftenseehisshiningautomobileracingthroughthecityathighspeed.Sometimeshis slightlyplumpfigureinanexpensivecashmerecoatis glimpsedas hepassesfromhiscar toa restaurantorbankorthroughthemysteriouslyglitteringdoorsofa luxuriousoffice."'
MostactiveandsuccessfulparticipantsintheworldofRussia'sprivatebusinesscon-
stitutea groupdefinedquitepreciselyalonggenerationalandgenderlines. A magazine thatcaterstoaspiringyoungentrepreneurssummarizesthisworldas follows:"Literally
withinafewyearsa newgenerationofbusinessmen-young,energetic,tough-wasformed beforeoureyes. Theyareas a ruleunderforty."2Endlesslistsof"bestbankers,""best
brokers,"and"bestmanagers,"compiledbypublicationsforandaboutbusinessmen,describethemas predominantlymenin theirthirties-accordingto one list,in 1999,the
averageageofthecountry'sfortytopmanagersofprivatecompanieswas35.5,andthirtysixofthemweremen.3Indeed,accordingtosociologicalstudies,inthesecondhalfofthe
I wishtoexpressgratitudetoDonaldMoore,SergueiOushakine,MargaretPaxson,andMariaSalazkinaforstimulat- ingdiscussionsthatinspiredmeduringtheworkonthisessay.
'OlgaKryshtanovskayaquotedinCarolineHumphrey,"TheVillasofthe'NewRussians':ASketchofConsump- tionandCulturalIdentityinPost-SovietLandscapes,"Focaal 30/31(1997):85.
2Kar'era,2000,no2:1. 3Kar'era,1999,no.12:1.
TheRussianReview62 (January2003):72-90
Copyright2003TheRussianReview
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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 73
1990stheaverageageofRussianprivateentrepreneurswasthirty-six;4and82 percentof theleadingmanagersofsmallandmediumbusinessesweremen.'
As thesefiguresindicate,mostbusinesspeopleinRussiabelongtoonecohort(born betweenthemid-1950sandtheearly1970s)thatis thelastSovietgeneration,inasmuch as theyarethelastgroupofSovietswhocameofage,becameeducated,andstartedtheir
adultlivesunderstatesocialismbeforeperestroikabeganinthemid-1980s.6Duringthe firsttwentytothirtyyearsoftheirlivestheywereexposedtotheideologicaldiscoursesof statesocialism,withitsannouncedgoaltobringthemup as "youngbuildersofcommunism."Inthefollowingdecade,manyofthesepeopleturnedtocareersinprivatebusiness, wheretheyconfrontedthenewlydominantdiscourseoflatecapitalism.Thegoalofthis discoursehasbeentoshapethenewRussianintoa neoliberal"homoeconomicus."
ThisessayexamineshowthenewdiscoursedescribestheidealpersonaoftheRussianbusinessworld,whattechniquesoftransformationthismodelanddiscourseofferits
audiences,andhowthesetechniques,whenputintopractice,structurerelations,concepts, andsubjectivitiesinthesphereofRussianbusiness.
ENTREPRENEUR OF ONESELF
Amongtheseaofmassmediadevotedtothebusinessworlda specialroleisplayedbythe publicationsthatexplainhowtosucceedinthatworldbyfashioningoneselfas a newkind
ofentrepreneurialsubject. Thesepublicationsdescribeindetailthelifestyle,behavior, andcharactertraitsofsuccessfulbusinessmen,andarewrittenless forthosewhohave
alreadysucceededintheworldofbusinessthanthewannabesstillplanningtodoso. The
genreofsuchpublicationsis notnew;similar"successmanuals"appearedintheUnited
Statesas earlyas the1870s,duringtherapiddevelopmentofcapitalism.7In today's Russia,purveyorsofthisdiscourseincludesuchmagazinesasKar'era(Career)andProfil' (Profile),whichcall theirreadership"truecareerists"(nastoiashchiekar'eristy).
Becominga "truecareerist,"accordingtothismodel,impliesmorethansimplylearning thetechnicalskillsof"doingbusiness."Italsomeanslearning wholesetofnormsthat
demarcateeverydaypractices,dispositions,andone'srelationshiptotheselfandtothe world.Thesenormsfunctionas disciplinaryeffectsofthenewneoliberalregimeoftruth andpowerintheRussianbusinessworld.8An individualwhowantstobecomea "true
4Argumentyifakty44 (1996):6 (resultspublishedbytheSectorfortheStudiesofElites,MoscowSociological Institute).
5GoskomstatRossii,ZhenshchinymuzhchinyRossii:Kratkiistatisticheskiisbornik(Moscow,1997),67.
6Theanalysisofchangingculturaldynamicsamonggenerations-"cohortanalysis"-hasoccupieda prominent positioninanthropology,especiallyduringthepasttwodecades.Byfocusingonthetemporaldimension,thisapproachfitswellwithcurrentanthropologicalviewsofcultureasdynamic,contested,andnonhomogenousAs. many
recentanthropologicalstudieshaveargued,"comingofageatparticularmomentscreatestellingfaultlinesthrough whichmeaningistransformedSee." LisaRofel,OtherModernities:GenderedYearningsinChinaafterSocialism
(Berkeley,1999),22.
7JudyHilkey,Characteras Capital:SuccessManualsandManhoodin GildedAgeAmerica(ChapelHill, 1977),1.
8MichelFoucault,"TruthandPower,"inMichelFoucault:Power/Knowledge:SelectedInterviewsandOther Writings,1972-1977,ed.ColinGordon(Brighton,England,1991).
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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 75
careerist"must,firstandforemost,be an "entrepreneurofhimselforherself'whoorganizesdifferentaspectsofhisorherlifeas the"continuousbusinessofliving"andwho
constantlymakes"adequateprovisionforthepreservation,reproductionandreconstruc- tionof[hisorher]ownhumancapital."' Theascendancyofthisneoliberalmodelofthe subject-a subjectPierreBourdieulabeled"thewinner,schooledinhighermathematics...
bungeejumping... [and]moral a broadshiftinthelogicofevery- Darwinism"'0-marks
dayexistencetoward"themanagerializationofpersonalidentityandpersonalrelations"
and"thecapitalizationofthemeaningof IntheWest,thisneoliberalsubjectemerged life.""''
gradually,as a resultofa long,slow,andcontestedevolutionofmarketpractices.Inpost- SovietRussia,intheabsenceofsuchlong-standingpractices,thediscourseplaysa par-
ticularlysignificantroleintheproductionofthissubject.12
To analyzehowdiscoursedisciplinesnewsubjectsvis-a-visnewnormsandrulesI posewhatFoucaultcallshow,as opposedtowhat,questions.13Insteadofexamining,for example,whatformsofbusinessorstylesofconsumptionareparticulartotheRussian businessworld,I examinehowthediscourseofnewbusinessmediadelineatesthenorms
ofeverydaypractices,dispositions,relations,anddesiresinthisworld.Toconsiderwhether thisdiscoursehas beenat all successfulin introducingnewnorms,andwhatformsof behaviorhaveresulted,I drawoninterviewswithentrepreneursandemployeesofprivate companies,as well as materialsbasedon participantobservation,bothofwhichI conductedduringmyresearchon businesspracticesin Russia.'4 I also drawon published interviewswithentrepreneurs,theircolleagues,andtheirspousesandanalyzetheseinterviews,commentaries,andethnographicdescriptionsas elementsofwhatFoucaultcallsa
9ColinGordon,"GovernmentalRationality:AnIntroduction,"inTheFoucaultEffect:StudiesinGovernmentality withTwoLecturesbyandanInterviewwithMichelFoucault,ed.GrahamBurchell,ColinGordon,andPeterMiller
(Chicago,1991),42,44-45.
'0PierreBourdieu,"The Essenceofneoliberalism,"Le Mondediplomatique(December1998) (see http://
www.en.monde-diplomatique.fr/1998/12/08bourdieu).
"Gordon,"GovernmentalRationality,"44. See alsoNikolasRose,"GoverningEnterprisingIndividuals,"inhis InventingOurSelves:Psychology,Power,andPersonhood(Cambridge,England,1998),153;andMichelFou-
cault,"TechnologiesoftheSelf,"inTechnologiesoftheSelf,ed.L. H. Martinetal.(London,1988).
'2KatherineVerderymakesa similarpointdiscussingtheprominenceofdiscourseoverpracticeduringthe postrevolutionaryperiod:theBolshevikgovernmenthadlittletimeforitsprojectofrevolutionizingconsciousnessand
treatedlanguageasthe"ultimatemeansofproduction"oftheCommunistworldandsubject("TheorizingSocialism: A Prologuetothe'Transition,"'AmericanEthnologist18,no.3 (1991):430).
'3Foucaultdescribeshismethodinthestudyofthe"genealogyofmorality"as follows:"Inordertogeta better understandingofwhatispunishedandwhy,I wantedtoaskthequestion:howdoesonepunish?Thiswasthesame
procedureasI hadusedwhendealingwithmadness;ratherthanaskingwhat,ina givenperiod,isregardedassanityor insanity,asmentalillnessornormalbehavior,I wantedtoaskhowthesedivisionsareoperatedIt's. a methodwhich
seemstometoyield,I wouldn'tsaythemaximumofpossibleillumination,butatleasta fairlyfruitfulkindof
intelligibility"("QuestionsofMethod,"inTheFoucaultEffect,74).
'4As partofmyresearchproject,in1994-95,I joineda privateadvertisingagencyinSt.Petersburgas a copywriterThis.workputmeincontactwitha largenumberofbusinessesandentrepreneursinthecity.I conductedsemi- structuredinterviewswithtwenty-sixentrepreneurs,someofwhomI interviewedrepeatedlyoverthecourseofsix years,from1994to1999.I alsoconductedparticipant-observationresearchinseveralsmallbusinessesSee.Alexei Yurchak,"EntrepreneurialGovernmentalityinPost-SocialistRussia:ACulturalInvestigationofBusinessPractices," inTheNewEntrepreneursofEuropeandAsia,ed.VictoriaBonnellandThomasGold(Armonk,NY,2002).
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76 AlexeiYurchak
"discursiveformation"throughwhichnewnormsareformulated,recited,actedout,and learned.15
PERFORMATIVITYOF DISCOURSE
"Discursiveformations(orideologicalformationsthatoperatethroughdiscursiveregularities),"explainsStuartHall,
"formulate"theirownobjectsofknowledgeandtheirownsubjects;theyhave theirownrepertoireofconcepts,aredrivenbytheirownlogics,operatetheir ownenunciativemodality,andconstitutetheirownwayofacknowledgingwhat istrueandexcludingwhatisfalsewithintheirownregimeoftruthThey. establishthroughtheirregularities"spaceofformation"inwhichcertainstatements canbe enunciated;one constellationconstantlyinterrupts,displaces,andrear- rangesanotherThis.is atonewithFoucault'sproject:toexplainhowitis that "oneparticularstatementappearedratherthananother."'6
Drawingon JohnAustin'stheoryofperformativityoflanguageas elaboratedforsocial analysisintheworkofPierreBoudieuandJudithButler,wemayspeakoftheperformativity
ofdiscourseintheRussianbusinessworldintwodistinct Inthefirst,performativity senses.I7
originatesinthepowerofprivatelyownedmassmediato
"discursiveformation"as dominant,unavoidable,and"natural,"todefinewhatwillbe
"speakable"and"unspeakable"withinthisdiscursiveformation,and,hence,tocreatethe conditionswithinwhichthesubjectofthenewbusinessworld,"thetruecareerist,"can
emergeas a normativetype.'"FollowingBourdieu,onemaycallthisperformativepower ofmassmediadiscourse"delegated"bythepowerfulactorsandinstitutionsofthebusinessworldthatownmassmedia,andwho,throughthisimpositionofpower,striveto establishthemselvesas thenewdominantclassthatauthorsandcontrolsthenewversion
ofthesocialworld. Performativepowerin thesecondsenseis investedin individual
performativeactsofidentity,includingtheactsofbreakingtheoldnormsandimposing newnormativeselves.19Accordingtobusinessmediadiscourse,theactsmustbepracticed
dailybythoseaspiringtoreinventthemselvesas "truecareerists."
In treatingperformativityof discoursein thefirstsense,I outlineshiftsin the postsocialistdiscursiveregimeperformedbythenewlydominantdiscourseofbusiness
'IMichel Foucault,TheArcheologyofKnowledge(London,1974);HubertL. DreyfusandPaulRabinow,Michel
Foucault:BeyondStructuralismandHermeneutics,2ded.(Chicago,1983),44-78; StuartHall,"TheToadinthe
Garden:ThatcherismamongtheTheorists,"inMarxismandtheInterpretationofCulture,ed.C. NelsonandL.
Grossberg(Champaign,1988),51-52.
'6Hall,"TheToadintheGarden,"51.
'7JohnAustin,HowToDo ThingsWithWords(Cambridge,MA,1975);PierreBourdieu,LanguageandSymbolic
Power,ed.JohnB.Thompson,transGino.RaymondandMatthewAdamson(Cambridge,MA,1991);JudithButler,
ExcitableSpeech:APoliticsofthePerformative(NewYork,1997);idem,BodiesThatMatter:OntheDiscursive
LimitsofSex(NewYork,1993).
'8Butler,ExcitableSpeech,142.
19Ibid.
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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 77
massmedia. I thenanalyzeperformativityin thesecondsense-identifyingindividual performativeactsof"thetruecareerist,"howonepracticesthem,andwhatmodelsofthe selfandsocietytheyhelptoshape.
FLEXIBLEADVERTISINGANDINVERSIONSOF THE DISCURSIVEREGIME
Theradicaltransformationsofthediscursiveregimeinpost-SovietRussiahaveoccurred
on all levelsofits"enunciativemodalities,"fromlinguisticstructure,tonarrativeorganization,totheboundariesbetween"speakable"and "unspeakable"ideas.20Thesetransformationsareespeciallyclearinthedomainofconsumeradvertising,wherea newtypeof advertisingdiscourseaddresseseverymemberoftheaudiencepersonally,speakingtoeveryoneonhis/herowntermsandreadilyshiftingtofiteachpersonalviewandpreference. ThisdiscourseofwhatI call"flexibleadvertising"developedearlierintheWest,approxi-
1980s.2' Itsdefiningfeatureis thetransmissionofa messagethatis sufficientlyconcretefora concreteindividualtoidentifywithit,andyetsufficientlyab- stracttoadapttoanyone'spersonalpositionandpolitics.Thestructureofanutterancein thistypeofadvertisingallowsforittobe investedwithdifferentmeaningbydifferent people. Themostfamousprototypeofthisdiscourseis Nike'sslogan,"Justdo it." Ac- cordingtocopy-writersoftheadagencyWeidenandKennedy,whoinventedthesloganin 1988,itsstrengthis itscapacitytomeandifferentthingspersonallytodifferentpeople.22 NowadaysNikesloganspushthispersonalizationandflexibilitytothelimit,as evidentin theirrecentexhortation,"Justdo whatever."23Similarly,theCalvinKleinadvertising slogan"JustBe" developstheideathatonedoesnothavetofitintoanypreexistingnorm; theonlynormtobe obeyedis thatofsimplybeing. Thisdiscourse,whichincreasingly
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20DreyfusandRabinow,MichelFoucault,67-69. Onalltheselevelsthediscourseofprivatebusiness,advertising, andmassmediahasshiftedinthedirectionof"linguisticcommodificationSee."my"PrivatizeYourName:Symbolic
Workina Post-SovietLinguisticMarket,"JournalofSociolinguistics4,no.3 (2000); andmy"TheGrammarof Consumption"(paperpresentedattheAnnualMeetingofAmericanAnthropologicalAssociation,SanFrancisco,
2000).
21Fora discussionoftheshiftto"flexible"advertisingseemy"Po sledamzhenskogoobraza:Simvolicheskaia rabotanovogoreklamnogodiskursa,"inZhenshchinavizual'nyeznaki,ed.AnnaAl'chuk(Moscow,2000).
22"Nike,Inc.,AnnualMeetingofShareholders"(23September1998):3.
23Seehttp://www.nikebiz.com/media/n_whatever.shtml 24SeethisadinOM(December1999).
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intransitives,vocatives,and,in theRussiancase,thepronountyandreflexives.27The resultis a messagethatcalls on everyonepersonallyto be engagedin a self-centered activity-adispositionthatisequatedwithtakingone'slifeinone'sownhands,achieving
personalsuccess,anddiscoveringthemeaningoflife. Onlyas a secondarystepis this activelyself-centereddispositionconnectedwithanadvertisedcommodity.
Inthepost-Sovietcontextthediscourseofflexibleadvertisinghasanadditionalnu- ance. As a newlydominantandubiquitouspublicdiscourse,itactsinoppositiontothe previouslydominantandequallyubiquitousdiscourseofSovietideology.Sovietdiscourse describeda collectivecondition:Nashatsel'- kommunizm("Ourgoalis communism"), Resheniia25 s"ezdapartiiodobriaem("Weendorsethedecisionsofthe25thPartyCon-
gress"),Slava Sovetskomunarodu("GlorytotheSovietpeople"). Thenewdiscourseof flexibleadvertising,contrast,describesself-centeredaction:
Otorvis' druz'iami("Blastoffwithyourfriends,"Fanta); Rasslab'sia("Relax,"Ochakovbeer); Nasladis'Ispaniei("TakepleasureinSpain,"ITLV olives);
Noch'tvoia,dobav'ognia("Thenightis yours,addsomefire/light,"Pall Mall
cigarettes);
Tymozhesh'sebeetopozvolit'("Youcanallowyourselfthis,"Nevskoebeer); Oshchutipiat'iuorganamichuvstv("Feel itwithfivesenses,"Piaterkamineral
water);
Ne dai sebezasokhnut'("Don'tletyourselfdryout,"Sprite).
Theseexamplesmarknotonlya relativesemantictransformationofthediscursive
regime,buta completeinversionofitsutopianenunciativemodality,fromcommunistto neoliberal.Thesamediscursiveinversionalso occurredattheleveloflexicon.Forex-
ample,thewordbol'shevikchangedinmostmassmediadiscoursesfroma sacredtermto
a slur.Similarly,thetermkar'erist(careerist)-anindividualwhosecentralgoalinlifeis a successfulpersonalcareer-inthepagesofKar'eraacquiresa positivemeaning,whereas inSoviettimesitswaspurelynegative.Thisdiscursiveinversionredefinesthenormative
boundariesofthe"real"andthe"meaningful"inthenewbusinessworld:itopposesthe old,collective,materialist"socialistadministration"(sotsialisticheskoeupravlenie)and
thenew,personalized,idealist"trueentrepreneurship"(istinoepredprinimatel'stvo):
'We maythinkofthissymbolicpowerofthegazeintermsofJacquesLacan'stheoryofthe"gaze"andits"trace" ("TheGazeas ObjectPetita," inTheFourFundamentalConceptsofPsycho-Analysis[NewYork,1998]),74-75).
Fora discussionofthistopicseemy"Posledamzhenskogoobraza." 26LouisAlthusser,"IdeologyandIdeologicalStateApparatuses(NotestowardanInvestigation),"inLeninand
PhilosophyandOtherEssays(NewYork,1988). 27Yurchak,"TheGrammarofConsumption."
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EntrepreneurialEthicandtheSpiritof"TrueCareerism" 79
In RussianbusinesstherearetwocategoriesofentrepreneursThe. firstadministerspropertythatheinheritedfromthestate.Thesecondcreatesa newbusinessor a radicallynewimage/brand(imidzh/brend)foran existingbusiness. The latteris entrepreneurshipin thetruesenseof theword. For example, Khodorkovskiifoundedhis Rosprom-UKOS. Kakha Bendukidzecreated
Uralmashzavody,whichhasanentirelydifferentimagefromtheonethatexisted earlierandwasknowntoeveryoneas Uralmash.28
Super-idea(sverkhideia),"explainsAleksandrKhloponin, generalmanagerofNorilskNickel. "Inthissenseheis moreofanidealistthana materi-
alist... tocreate,toproducesomethingoutofnothing-thesearethegoalsfora person whois aimingforsuccessinlife."29
Thenormativemodelofthetruecareerist demarcatednotonlybylinguistic,tem-
poral,and generationalboundaries,butalso bygender.Thispersonis a man;in this discursiveregimewomenplaytheroleofsubordinatesbecausetheylacktherequisitelevel
offlexibility,speed,andself-centerednessintheirrelationshipstotheselfandtotheworld. Kar'eraexplains:
Discussionsandnegotiationsinourbusinessworldareoftenhandledinan in-
crediblyroughand toughway-not in ballroomdressesandreceptionhalls. Hereoneneedstheiron-cladcharacter,willpower,andtheindestructibilityofa warriorVery. fewwomencanhandlesomethinglikethat.30
Thejob ofauditoris "wellpaid,""notrisk-related,"and"idealforwomenwho arenotirritatedbytediouscalculationsandheapsofpaperwork."31
Traders(dilery)areamongtheeliteandbest-paidbankingexperts.Theyare valuedbecausetheybringthemajorprofitstobanks.Thisprofessionis forreal men.Womenworkonlyondeposits,maintainingthebank'sinternalresources. Thatworkis calmeranddoesnotrequirequickdecisions;instead,itdemands diligence,meticulousness,precision,andattentionWomen.inthetradingroom havetocovertheirears. Traderstalkamongthemselvesina professionaljar- gon-a mixtureofEnglishandobscenities.Strongexpressionshelptorelease emotionalstress.So doeshardliquor.Whiskeyis thetraders'favoritedrink.32
TheinversionofthediscursivemodalityfromSoviettopost-Sovietisnotonlycom- plete,butoftenconsciousandquitecynical,as evidencedinthetitlesofsundryarticles
publishedinKar'era. Theprecedingpassage,forexample,ispartofanarticlediscussing businesssalariesandis titled"Myza tsenoine postoim"("We'll payanyprice"). This ironictitlereliesonreaders'recognitionofthereferencetoa sharednationalexperience, echoingthenameofa movingsongfroman immenselypopularSovietfilm,Belorusskii
28DmitriiSimakovetal.,"Kapital'noestroitel'stvo,"Kar'era,2000,no.2. 29IngeboraAdomaite,"Kar'era- etotsenacheloveka,"Kar'era,1998,no.8.
3Ibid. 3101'gaKazanskaia,"Ekonomicheskoechudo,"Kar'era,1998,no.3. 32MargaritaOzerova,"Myza tsenoinepostoim,"Kar'era,2000,no.2.
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80 AlexeiYurchak
vokzal,fromthe1970saboutWorldWarII veteranswhorememberthosecomradeswho hadperishedatthefront.
PERFORMING SUCCESS
Theprocessofreinventingoneselftofitthenormsofthetruecareeristnecessitatesendless
performativerituals-frombodilyacts(appearance,clothes,gestures,movements,wayof
walking,manners,voice,styleofdrinking),tospeechacts(typesofutterances,genresof speech,use ofEnglishandobscenities),toritualisticactsofmanipulating,reorganizing, andreshapingone'sself-centeredperspectives,emotions,feelings,thetimeandspaceof one's daily existence,and so forth. By constantlyrecitingand re-enactingthese performativiveactsthetruecareeristcultivateshimselfdailyandhourlyin accordance withthenewnormsoftheneoliberalmodel.
Amongthemostobvioussuchactsis theprojectionofthevisibleappearanceofsuc-
cessontoone'sbodilystyle:"Careeristsaren'taccustomedtosavingmoneyonties,watches,
andcars. Becauseeverythingthatis visibleshouldworkon yoursuccess";"careerists shouldsmelloffreshnessandhealthyambitions";"thecareerist a conceptthatdoesn't
dependon theweather.A brand-newsuit,shiningshoes,anda friendlysmilemustbe wornregardlessofthemeteorologicalconditions."33
Morecomplexdiscursiveactsentailwhatonemaycalltheprofessionalizationthe personalsphereandthepersonalizationofthebusinesssphere.Some actsrelentlessly obliterateanyremnantsoftime,space,andenergyforwhatwasonceknownas "personal life"(lichnaiazhizn'):"Thecareeristhasnotimeforlove. It'sa wasteoftime...There's
no timefortrivialitieswhenyou'reforgingyourcareer."34Otheractsdomesticatethe sphereofbusiness,creatingtheimpressionthatoneisworkingnotforthecompanybutfor oneselfand,therefore,engagednotinworkbutinlife. One's thoughts,relations,interests,emotions,love,sex,time,space,andso onareallrecastas notionsthatmakesense
onlywithinthisself-centered,flexibleandmasculinizedmodelofbusiness-living:"Witha
girlfriend(s liubimoi),youneverknowhowitwillworkoutintheend. Conversely,your workwillalwaysrewardyoufortryinghard.Youworklikea dog,yougetpaid,youget
promoted,youenjoyit. Andthisenjoymentdependsonlyonyou."35
A managerofa privatebusinessdescribeshowthisshiftis projectedontoeveryday actsandritualsofliving:
TheotherdayI realizedthatit'sbeenhalfa yearnowthatI haven'thada roman-
ticrelationshipAnd,. youknowwhat,I didn'teventhinkaboutit! Tobehonest, I havenotimeforgirls.Youdragyourselfhomearound10PM,havea bite,and
33SeeSergeiUshakin,"Vidimost'muzhestvennosti,"Russkiizhurnal(15 December1997);DenisMorozov, "Trusardi,"Kar'era,2000,no.2; idem,"Utomlennyesolntsem,"Kar'era,2000,no.6; andidem,"Sukhoizakon," Kar'era,2000,no.5.
34lrinaBuilova,"S chuvstvomglubokogoneudovletvoreniia,"Kar'era,2000,no.1. 35Ibid.
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